Star Gaze
by Aoki Aoi 16
Summary: Lapidot Week Days 3 and 5: Stargazing and Hurt/Cumfort


**My contribution for Day 3 and 5 of Lapidot Week. Enjoy!**

The sun had set below the ocean, hints of oranges and pink left in the dimming sky. Above that were the blue wisps, waiting to be overtaken by an ebony blanket within minutes. Lapis and Peridot both noticed the days of summer were growing shorter and shorter by the day. Earlier that day they had gone to The Temple and visited Steven and the others. There were days where the gems were free, and they all hung out on the beach, mostly doing things Steven enjoyed.

The two left after the sun had set, after all the warp pad was a bit away from the barn.

"Today was a quite enjoyable day with Steven" Peridot said to Lapis. The blue one nodded.

"Any day with Steven is a good day for me," Lapis replied distantly. Peridot knew Lapis still had a few problems with the other Crystal Gems. She had heard from her superiors that Lapis had come back to Homeworld from earth. But Peridot was never informed of why Lapis came back, or why she was on the earth for so long. As far as Peridot was concerned, Steven was the only being Lapis enjoyed being around.

Silence filled the void between them. Though they had been living together for a few weeks, there was still a wall between them. Peridot couldn't blame Lapis for that, of course. Peridot was the one who interrogated her on the ship towards earth. Despite the fact she had changed, she understood it would take quite a bit to "break the ice". Peridot tried to think of something to talk about, the silence was rather awkward.

"The stars are beautiful tonight," Peridot pointed out, looking up at the sky. Lapis looked up.

"Yeah..." she whispered. "They certainly are," The two reached the barn.

"Hey, um, Lazuli?" Peridot asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to observe the stars with me?" Lapis gave her an odd look.

"Why?" She asked. Peridot shrugged.

"It's not that late out tonight, and they're seems to be a lot of stars out tonight. The white fluffs aren't in the sky obscuring our vision scape, so I figured it's a perfect nice to observe the stars!"

"Sure, whatever," she replied. Lapis flew herself up on the silo and Peridot climbed up. The barn was in the middle of the country, where little city light got in the way. Many stars could be seen on a clear night.

The two sat next to each other facing away from the barn, and gazed upon the sky. Stars sprinkled the night sky.

"The stars look a lot different on earth than on Homeworld" Peridot commented.

"Homeworld is very far away from here. Of course the stars look different from earth than over on Homeworld" Lapis replied.

"Garnet once told me, that you can see Homeworld's galaxy from here, it's uhhhh" Peridot searched the sky mid sentence.

"Over here," Lapis pointed towards the sky. Homeworld's galaxy was just another speck in the sky.

"We can never go home..." Lapis mumbled.

"Yeah..."

A cool breeze blew through. Lapis's hair covered most of her face. The two stared up at their former home. For Peridot, it had only been a few months since she had left Homeworld. The last time Lapis had been on Homeworld, the last time she was free on Homeworld was thousands of years before, before the war began. Earth was such a different place from Homeworld. There were things the two liked about the earth, but it couldn't compare to Homeworld. As Peridot had said before, it was hard not having feelings for where you came from.

"When I became free, all I wanted to do was go home," Lapis started. Peridot looked up at her.

"What, happened to you? I mean, why were you stuck on Earth for all of those years?"

Lapis glanced at Peridot, her eyes glassy, her body frozen. Peridot would ask her questions like this on the ship to earth. Lapis would panic remembering what happened all of those years ago. She remembered it like it had happened only recently. Her imprisonment felt like the thousands of years it was. She felt comfortable telling Steven about her past, though it hurt her. Peridot, the one who interrogated her on the ship, she didn't know if she wanted to tell this to someone like her.

"Lazuli? Are you okay?"

"What?" she asked, awakening from her trance like state.

"It's understandable if you don't want to tell me. I understand," Peridot said.

It was then, Lapis realized, Peridot maybe did deserve the truth. She wasn't the Peridot that interrogated her on the ship. Peridot had indeed, changed when she had come to the Earth. She was not her jail keeper, she was her barn mate.

"No, you deserve to hear the truth," Lapis replied.

Lapis told Peridot everything. From how she was poofed, to how she was put in a mirror by Homeworld gems. How she was trapped in the mirror, left behind on Earth and imprisoned for thousands of years. How Steven saved her, freed her from the mirror. How Steven healed her so she could go back to Homeworld.

"When I returned to Homeworld, everything had changed. I spent all those years, trapped, waiting to go back, waiting to go home. I recognized nothing. I guess, things change after thousands of years. I became prisoner again, and then I fused with Jasper. I'm such a mess."

Peridot didn't hear a word about this from Lapis when she was on the ship. Lapis had kept quiet, and finally she was telling her everything.

"Maybe I did deserve this," Lapis whispered. "I stole the ocean, I tried to drown Steven and his friend, I broke his Dad's leg. I don't deserve this freedom even now. All I do is cause trouble when I'm free"

"Lazuli," Peridot said. "What you're saying makes absolutely no sense. Sure, apparently you stole the ocean, and tried to drown Steven and broke his 'Dad's' leg. You are right. That was wrong. And fusing with Jasper was just stupid! But even so, that doesn't mean you deserve nothing. I tried to kill Steven and the Crystal Gems! I called Yellow Diamond a clod! To her face! If anything, I don't deserve to go back to Homeworld!" Lapis looked at the blonde one curiously.

Peridot sighed. "My point being, even if we deserve to go back to Homeworld, we can't. It is objectively, impossible. It is dangerous for us to do so. You're right, Earth is nothing like Homeworld. But we're still learning about the Earth, together. And if you feel alone, like you can't relate to anyone here, you can always talk to me. I don't know if I'm the best gem to talk to, but I'll always be here for you, Lapis"

Lapis smiled. Peridot really had grown since the first time they had met. She really had changed quite a bit since she had come to this planet. "Thanks, Peridot," Peridot felt a warm feeling inside her. She was glad she was able to cheer Lapis up a little bit. She was happy Lapis opened up to her. It was something, something the two needed.

The two gazed the vast sky full of stars. The universe was full of stars, and planets where other gems lived. The two knew they couldn't ever go back to Homeworld, and even though it would be hard, everything would be okay. They had Steven, the Crystal Gems, the barn and the countryside, the Earth. They had each other. Even the stars of the sky couldn't deny that.


End file.
